Polar Express...fun?

We went to the Polar Express train ride in Globe Az. It was the first year it was open since the train and the station was restored by local volunteers. Riley and I love trains and have never been on a real one. So I was so excited to go on our first real train!!
For the 3 of us is was $60, more then I wanted to pay of course but I figured well worth it! we went to dinner first at Village Inn,

Riley had Pie for Dinner and didnt want to eat it.. What? a kid not wanting pie for dinner??... instead he wanted my eggs and bacon..Hmmm.. but he did enjoy eating the jelly with a spoon right out of the little plastic container...

why did we let him have pie for dinner? and eat straight jelly??. That is a good question.. but it was Michaels idea and I wasnt up for argument. :)



we drove, there.. had to use the bathroom as soon as we arrived.. there were 2.. 1 was broken, and there was a line of 9 elderly people ahead of us.. got our tickets. boarded the train.. and noticed.. Hmm.. everyone has tables and they are facing each other.. but us. and a few other people.. we had bus style seating.. :( and mike had to sit behind us. that was disappointing because we wanted to interact and talk to each other while riding.

we began to move.. Backwards! BACKWARDS!?? Holy crap, I felt dizzy and nausea. so I had to sit 80% turned around, for 45 mins while the train backed up and swayed back and forth. it was dark. we couldnt see anything outside., except a few houses with lights and an autozone in the distance.

We got hot chocolate, which was... Hot and riley burned his tongue spit it out on him, me and the seat, we arrived at the "NORTH POLE"!! they made a big deal over the intercom,, and everyone turned to look in wonder and excitement... it was a sign.. that simply stated.. the north pole with lights around it.. and a blow up penguin stuffing letters into a mail bag.. they announced santa was now on the train and would visit the kids

Riley was so excited, waiting for santa to come to our car.,. He showed up a few mins later behind us.. Riley saw him.. and started to cry and scream outloud. Hiding behind me and crying he wouldnt even look up.. or talk to anyone... after we missed santa and he passed our car, riley wouldnt calm down,, he was paranoid the rest of the ride.. they read a night before christmas over the intercom, and some 85 year olds sang songs going up and down the tiny aisle..

we got off.. took a picture of the train.. and one with his bell.. one of michael by the crossing train sign.. then went home.


It was........an experience,. and something new we did together.. and something I dont think we will be doing for a long time..

Making my days a little brighter

For my birthday my sis in law Emily brought me flowers @ work! They were beautiful!
.. & a month later... they still are! I cant believe how long they have lasted and the only thing that is starting to wilt a bit is the leaves,

I noticed today that 2 of the stems have baby flowers growing on them near the bottom! :) Its so cute!

They brighten my day every morning, & my husband thinks flowers are a waste.. I think they are amazing! :) Thanks Emily! :)

Candy Houses and Poking out.

Today I was suppose to go to scottsdale to take my Finals.. I have 3 classes to do, and the tests will take a few hours, well I got ready to leave, and then checked the website for the building # for the testing center.. and learned on Fridays they close at 4:45 instead of 7pm! :( Darn it!! I took a whole day off too But.. we did do .. Gingerbread Houses. or well... graham cracker houses.

Mike did it with us! They never got to make them as a kid, But he did a great job! & He got messy! :) Im so proud of him!



Riley did good :) and he liked it, and thr roof's didnt fall in!!
Mine looks like more like a Graham Cracker Barn. :)



I tried to make my own icing. but.. something went wrong, and it was thin and off white!? I was confused then My super smart hubby brought to my attention that the vanilla I put in it was dark brown.. Lol Duh!
Thank goodness I had a spare can of Creamy white icing.


Here is my belly button! :) It was popping out today! It didnt do that till a few days before I had Riley.. its kind of funny,, Pretend you dont see the stretch marks :)


& our christmas tree :) and stalkings.. Riley and I got new ones.. Mine has daisies, and jingle bells on it :) Rileys is a santa and has a furry beard :)
Its not a good pic, but hard to get when it sparkles and twinkles..

Its a Boy!? @ what the heck?

I was sad, I wont lie, I was sad and actually cried in the Dr. office, I think I was so sad because we were So sure, and Liberty was already part of our family. I didnt mean to get my hopes up, it just happened. Then my Dr came in, and I have already bonded with the entire Dr. Office staff. She hugged me and told me its ok to grieve, and thats why we find out early so we can.. then we have time to re-set the visions of your future and make this baby part of your life,. I agree..
I think I was sad because.. Having a little girl.. means.. someone to wear my clothes around the house....
my maternity underwear from when I had Riley.. (sorry not a good pic from my phone but surely a funny one!)

Someone to run around the house with and play silly games, hiding in laundry hampers......

Someone who I can paint their toe nails and we can brush each others hair :)

Someone who loves to help out around the house, just to hang out with mom

Someone I could dress up, in dresses and bows....

Someone who loves to go shopping with me and try on funny hats

Someone who loves to cook with me! and doesnt mind if I stick my fingers in the cookie batter :) and someone to give the other spoon to Lick, to save me some calories..

Someone who for halloween I can put in cute costumes, and not just wear boy costumes with ugly masks,



Someone to talk to, to laugh with, to share things with, and someone who when they get older will be thoughtful and think about things I would like, and we can make holidays special for each other.

....and then I stopped and thought about what I was thinking..
So I dont get the bows, and all the dresses, Not yet anyways.. But someone day I will.. and I already have all that.. I have an amazing son who loves to do those things with me, and he is still 100% boy. He brings me flowers whenever he goes outside, because he knows they make me smile. He lets me put blush on his cheeks, cause I think its cute when they are rosy, then he washes it off :) and says yuck
I have the best of both worlds right now, and I know that Brady will be an amazing sweet boy like Riley.

I need to get the vision out of my head, of 3 smelly, dirty boys running around shooting things at adults, kicking them, sticking out their tongue, and running away yelling.. Because That is Not my son, and I am raising him to be different and I will raise Brady to be a kind, friendly, awesome boy.

I did make Riley promise, that he will watch chick flicks with me, when I have no one to go to the movies with, and he promised that he will always like to look at pictures of our family, and things we did when he was little. :)
So I am not sad anymore, and I havent quite got to the excited part yet, but its coming, I did get a really nice super soft blanket for him and some cute star onesies. I gave 80% of my stuff to my sister, so its like starting over again, which is fun, but quite expensive, but we will make it work :)

Someday I will have a little girl, and she will be perfect, but until then, I will make sure I raise 2 amazing young men, I am excited to see what he will look like,. Riley has such an angelic face and I wonder if Brady will be the same way,, nearly to cute to be a boy, But I know that Riley is determined for fame, :)

The Beginning of Christmas!

I love Christmas,, I love how everything seems to sparkle and shine, and the nice people get a bit nicer, and the grumpy people get more irritated then normal :)

Yesterday we did the Christmas tree and a few decorations around the house. I had already had tbe tree up, but eventhough its pre-lit half of the top lights werent lighting, so I finally broke down and baught a cheap small set to replace them :)
I havent gotten our family ornament yet this year, but I did get Riley's I was at Target and couldnt resist it! Its totally him this year! Every time I ask him, why didnt he clean his room "because cleaning is so boring" Lol,




He had a great time going threw all the christmas totes, seeing what he wanted to put up.


This is his fake smile....




Fake but cute never the less :) He has been begging me to put up pictures of his Christmas train that goes around the tree.. But I am mad at it right now, and maybe will next time :)

Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving was so busy!! :) I was planning to take the day off & that friday, but when I learned I would be losing 16 hours of time and a half... I decided to suck it up and work :) not without a chip on my shoulder though, of course :p So I got up fairly early and started cooking my portion of Thanksgiving dinner,


The kids had a graet time! :) Riley found Michaels old cabbage patch doll, and named it Polly, carried him around most of the day.

Then he chased the girls around outside playing Deisel 10!


Then it was off to work for me!.. yay fun.. it was fairly uneventful until about 730, when the family fights started occuring, and the 911 was ringing off the hook!


Right after work 10 hours and 15 mins later I headed to walmart! Brite and early at 4am for Black Friday! Emily and I always go to Apache Junction on because its usually not busy,, it was a different story this year! It was so busy and we didnt get out of there till after 6 am! We saved allot of money and I got all my christmas shopping done except stocking stuffers. without Black Friday shopping we wouldnt have been able to have much of a christmas! So Thank you Walmart & for Price matching!

I finally got home after 6:30 and I was so tired! 5 hours of sleep and back to work again! By Sat I was exhausted! but still managed to complete 5 chapter tests in my class.. :) & make a lovely dinner

Not 30 anymore! Thank god!!

I have been dreading this post for awhille now. for many reasons. Trying to sound positive and cheery in a post is easy when it something fun you did, or a family celebration. But when its more of a turning point, and hopefully a beginning to something better, someone better, you want to be honest.
So here goes, This has been a horrible year. Turning 30 was nothing like the movie 13 going on 30! It was suppose to be... 30 Flirty and Fun! & really thats what I expected. 30's the new 20!! Wooohooo.... its all crap.. Its when you actually start to look at your life, and debate on whether this is the life you signed up for. When your frustrated that you want to be so thankful for everything in your life, but have a difficult time doing that. In your 20's your so excited to be on your own, cant wait to fall in love and get married, have kids, and find the perfect place to live. your so busy you fail to stop and take a look around at whom you have become. I think in your 20's you lose allot of your true self, to busy trying to create a life you think you want.
One day around.. 30.. you wake up, realize, the house is a mess, you have to many obligations and responsibilites, and you are so tired! and you cant remember the last thing you truely did for yourself when you didnt feel guilty about it. & all you want to do is cry. This is a turning point, reality sets in and its time for a change..

So.. Here is what I know..
I lost allot this year. Someone who was important in my life, I learned betrayal can come from the most unexpected places and people are capable of things you would never think are possible. But I have spent to much time being mad, and upset, since I cannot change the past, I will no longer let it cloud my days, and haunt my thoughts and dreams. I think the worst part is this person doesnt even seem to care, no regrets, no apologies, and no explanation. That hurts most.

I have noticed this year I have gotten more bold, I am not afraid to speak my mind, and eventhough I am a very honest person, I feel like I can hold my own now. & that.. Being Nice.. isnt always the best way to handle things. Riley has helped me allot, he always speaks up for what he considers injustice and he is only 3! So if he can defend me.. I can surely not let people run over me anymore.

We took our first family vacation to seaworld and legoland, First time for all of us!, We made our first late mortgage payment in over 6 years :( .We went to the snow! for the first time, Riley is potty trained! (major bonus), We are having our 2nd child, & we have a truck that only holds 2 people.. So.. lol I might be riding in back allot after the baby comes :) But that ok, I adventurous :)
We have expierenced so many new things as a family!

It was mostly a sad year, a year of learning, a year of discovery, a year of realizing what I want and who I want in my life and who I dont.
I have started the next chapter. I can see the end of the tunnel and look forward to the sunshine. Riley will be starting pre-school in january, a few months later we will have an new addition to our little family. Things are looking up, and I have come to realize I cannot do everything myself. and I am working on asking for help more. I am finding the positive side of things again, and enjoying it. I am looking forward to so many things! & I do have so many blessings in my life that I am so Thankful for!
My husband is one of the kindest people I know and I am thankful for that. He is an amazing dad! Riley is the sunlight in my day. Even when he is driving me nuts I still want to be around him!.. I am actually thankful for school! & proud of myself for still going, I want Riley to know its important to finish his education, and know that mommy worked, raised a family and finished school eventhough its going to take me 10 years to do it!
So the glass is half full from now on! I am so Thankful Im not 30 anymore!! & my pre-mid life crisis has ended.

Rileys first Race

Nascar is in town this weekend, which is my hubby's favorite hobby!
He decided Friday about noon that it would be fun to take Riley for the qualifying and truck races! So Pop Pop, Mike and Riley were off to the Races!
Mike said Riley did great! He listened, and they had to walk 3 miles!


Michael said at first Riley was upset because it was cold and to loud! But once he got the noisefree headset he was good to go! He does look pretty cute in them!
They had to walk 3 miles back to the car, and he slept over an hour in the truck on the way home, I was at work, but bright and early in the morning he was so excited to tell me all about his first race. :)

I wonder what he is thinking in this picture! what a dorky face lol, But I am so glad he had such a great time!

Chew chew cookies

Riley and I made Train cookies tonight!
We were at walmart and I saw the Train set of cookie cutters, and since my entire cookie cutter collection entales a star, a snowman, and a weird shape I really dont know what its suppose to be... I thought this is one we would use allot with my little train fanatic!


Can you see all the crap on my counter!! Pregnancy has made me lazy and tired.. easier to scoot things, wipe it down and hope I get to it tomorrow :)

Riley was sooo excited! He didnt even argue when I asked him to pick up his toys first! He did a good job! Although I was running short on patience today, it was fun :) and he looked pretty cute with flower all over him.



He was proud of himself and enjoyed sprinkling sugar on the cookies..

Hmmm. not sure why they all look like blobs after they bake.. or riley said most of them looked like Hippo's They were quite tastey!


& Amy I NEED those baking pans! Mine are horrible!!! Maybe I will put some on my Christmas list :) to bad mike doesnt read my blog.

Oragano's, then grounded!

We went to Oragano's last week for Emily and Gene's birthday :)

We had a party of 10, and I hate when they cant seat us all together , so we had to be at 2 different booths, back to back. right next to the kitchen! ,... loud kitchen,

We got to seat right when we got there! which is a first for me. The food took over an hour though. sooooooo there was waiting, it was good though :)

& all the portions are HUGE!

Riley didnt listen the whole time, he was bouncing around, climbing over the seats, being loud, not eating his dinner, Mike wasnt feeling good, by about 30 mins in I had a horrible headache and was ready to leave.

The "child" would not listen to us at all. & that is nor normal for him, usually he is such a great kid!

You can even see in this picture.. he is being... difficult.. and sneaky..

So when we got in the truck to come home, we had a long time.. and this was the first time.. He is officially GROUNDED.. No computer games for the rest of the night! and he was only allowed to play in one room. No snacks, and no soda of anykind for he rest of the night.

he was so upset! and I know he really felt bad about it because he kept saying "im so so sorry for not listening to you" I'll never get grounded again" he fell asleep on the way home, and when michael picked him up to bring him inside he woke up all sad, and said "fadder im so sorry i didnt listen" :( It made us sad, but he did so good the rest of the night, and in the morning he jumped out of bed, and asked if he could play computer games today! :) So we made it, he has been pretty good ever sense, and I hope we dont have to ground him again for a very long time!

I cant imagine when he gets older, and the punishments get worse. how hard that will be..

Wow Wow Meow & Tony

Halloween!!! I love Holidays! :) I'm so very thankful that I had the day off and could once again take Riley out! Thats the bad thing about working nights at a 24/7 job. You just have to pray the holidays fall on your days off!


Riley saw the Wow Wow Wubbzy costume and walmart & just had to have it!! I didnt want to buy it, But he wanted it so bad he actually worked for it, doing chores around the house. He loved it! & it looked cuter then I thought.
























Riley wanted me to dress up too,. I wasnt going to this year, So I ran to walgreens and picked up a set of ears :) it worked and turned out ok. I think I make a cute kitty cat :)





















Mike was Tony Stewart!!??... Yep I know I was shocked also lol, one day I will get him in a real costume!.























We went to sharon's house and had dinner with her, her friends Steve and Chad, Emily & Family and Laci,


then we went walking around the area trick or treating!
























Here is Chris and the girls & baby kingston in his cute little rooster costume




















Emily and Laci had cute costumes on! One Bee One Ladybug! :) Next year I'll something better then a set of ears :)




Here is me and Laci walking :) & being nerds :P


Riley was so scared the first house! he hid behind me, but after that he did a great job! & ran to each house!

We got home a bit late and I still have 15 premade bags of candy! :( We didnt give out any candy this year! Maybe next year. But Mike is reallly happy that we have 2 huge bowls full of candy for him to dive into! :)